Log-handling device



Jan. 6, 1959 J. J. UHLENKOTT LOG-HANDLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 6, 1957 INVENTOR. John J. Uhl enkofl Jan. 6, 1959 J. J. UHLENKOTTLOG-HANDLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6, 1957 2 Ev Om wt gINVENTOR. John J. Uhlenkofl 2,867,316 liatented Jan. 6, 1959 UnitedStates Patent Ofiice LOG-HANDLING DEVICE John J. Uhlenkott, Keuterville,Idaho Application September 6, 1957, Serial No. 682,371

3 Claims. (Cl. 203-75 I My present invention is a log-debarking device,and more particularly relates to an improved log-handling device forsupporting a log relative to a debarking head.

It. is customary today in, many mill operations to remove the bark fromlogs, prior to sawing or otherwise working upon the logs, for thepurpose of more accurately determining the grain of the wood so thateach log may be sawn to the best advantage to produce as much top gradelumber as possible. It is desirable therefore to remove the bark fromlogs very rapidly and cleanly without undue mutilation of the wood. Themost prevalent debarking device which has proven satisfactory in thefield is a type having a removable and interchangeable blade supportedon an articulate arm which will'flreadily accommodate logs havingirregularities in peripheral size and shape and radially extending knotsor branch stubs. One such debarking head is disclosed in my copendingapplication Serial No. 607,720, filed September 4, 1956, now Patent No.2,830,630, granted April 15, 1958, in which I show that it is customaryto support logs'to be debarked in a large frame similar to supporting'apiece of wood in a lathe for turning. This of course requiresconsiderable time and labor to accurately support the log and mount itin the head and tail stocks for',turning.

The present invention is particularly designed to minimize the amount oftime and adjustment necessary to accurately support a log for removal ofthe bark by the debarking head. It is therefore one object of thisinvention to provide a log-handling device which may very readilyreceive and support logs, having. various circumferences andirregularities, with respect to a debarking head.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of alog-handling device which supports. the logwith a minimum amount ofadjustment, therefore one which may position a log for operation of thedebarking head with a minimal expenditure of time.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of alog-handling device which will support a log for operation thereuponwithout limitation to the length of the log which may be supported. I

A still further object of the present invention is to provide alog-handling device which will rotate a log at a desired speed andaxially advance a log by the same means at variable speeds according tomanual selection.

The accompanying drawings disclose one physical embodiment of theproposed invention constructed in accordance with the best mode I havethus far devised, but it is to be understood that the drawings aresupplied for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the invention beyond that defined in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is an end elevation showing the log-handling device and adebarking head associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the log-handling device and having portionsbroken away for convenience of illustration; and

rail 12, here shown to be I beams in cross section. A I

suitable bracket 21 braced at 22 supports a debarking head indicated inits entirety by the numeral 15. The de tails of the debarking head are.disclosed in my patent above referred to and will not be greatly definedherein with the exception of stating that a removable bark removingblade 16 is carried on the end of an articulate arm 17 and disposed toremove the bark portion B of a log L.

Inaddition to a guide 18 by means of which the head is supported ona way19 extending parallel to the log L, the head 15 will be provided withmeans (not shown) for lateral adjustment to facilitate properpositioning of the head which position may vary relative to the logdiameter.

The front and rear rails 11 and 12 are tied together with laterallyextending beams 13 which may be bolted or riveted as seen at 14 to forman extremely rigid and strong frame which of course is required whensupporting and handling logs that weigh a considerable amount.

On the inner or rear rail 12 I provide a plurality of verticallydisposed upstanding spindles .20 which are dis posed in a seriesparallel to the front rail 11 and spaced from each otherlongitudinallyof the frame 10. Each spindle has at its lower end an encircling thrustbearing 23. Upwardly spaced therefrom a collar 24is releasably securedby means of set bolts 25 or otherwise. The collar also supports a thrustbearing 26. j I

Supported upon these thrust bearings% and 23 of each spindle 2 3 areupper and lower journal sleeves 27 and 28 which encircle the spindle 29.The sleeve ljournals are each Weldedto or otherwise support a baseportion 29 of a log cradle indicated in its entirety by'numeral 30.

It will be seen that each of. the cradles is. substantially L-shapedwith its base 29 disposed vertically parallel to the spindle 20 and anarm 31 extending laterally of the frame ill to and over the front rail11.. As seen in Figure 3, each cradle is fabricated from a pair ofchannel members 32, 32 which are spaced by means of a number of sleeves33 disposed therebetween. Bolts 34 extend through'apertures in the websof the channel members 32 and sleeves 33 and nuts .35 clamp the channelmembers 32 to the sleeves 33. A loose roller sleeve 36 surrounds thesleeve 33 so that it may rotate as an idler as will be subsequentlyseen. 7

At the free ends of each of the base members 29 and the arms 31 Iprovide sprockets 37 and 44. The sprocket 44 is carried by a shaft 51journaled in the end of the arm 31 of the cradle 30 on a horizontalaxis. The sprocket 37 is carried by ashaft 38 which is disposed on ahorizontal axis parallel to the shaft 51 and is also verticallyshiftable in recesses or bifurcations 39 formed in the ends of the basemembers 29. Hydraulic cylinders 40, one at each side of the base members29, have piston rods 41 which are associated with bearing sleeves 42encircling the ends of the shaft 33. When the cylinders are energized,the ends of the shaft 38 are raised or lowered according to manualselection, and thus the sprockets 37 may also act as chain-tensioningdevices.

- Each cradle 36 has an idler sprocket 43 journaled axially parallel tothe sprockets 37 and 44, and mounted at the juncture of the arm 31 andthe base 29. Chains 45 are trained about the several sprockets in avertical path and have a log-supporting flight 46 extending. between thesprockets 37 and 54.

At its outer end, each arm 31 has a bracket 47 which supports anelectric motor 48 connected to drive a chain 49 trained about a sprocket50 rigidly fixed to a shaft 51 of the sprocket 44 so that the motordrives the sprocket 44 in the direction shown by the arrow 52. It willthus be seen that as the log L is supported upon the log-supportingflights 46 and the chains are driven by the sprockets 44 in thedirectionof the arrow 52, the log L will be caused to rotate in the direction ofthe broken arrow 53 sothat the bark B may be removed by the blade 16 ofthe debarking head 15. l

s Although the way 19, as seen in Figure 2, is elongated so that thehead 15 may be moved longitudinally of the log to remove the barktherefrom, it is not necessary to do so, since I have designed thislog-handling device to advance the log relative to the head. Toaccomplish this function, it will be seen that I have provided rollers54 to support the free ends of the cradles 30, and these rollers restand roll upon the outer or front rail 11, to permit movement of thelaterally extending arms 31 from a position at right angles to the rails11 and 12 to an angular position as seen by dotted lines of Figure 2.This is accomplished by means of a hydraulic cylinder 55 which has itspiston rod 56 connected to move one of the arms 31 and since all of thearms are interconnected by means of links 57 pivotally connected at eachend to successive arms, they move inunison and in parallelism.

It will thus be seen that with the chain traveling in the direction ofthe arrow 52 and the log rotating in the direction of arrow 53 and asseen in Figure 2, with the arms disposed at the dotted position of 31,the log will be caused not only to rotate but to advance axiallyparallel to the rails 11 and 12 to be operated upon by the debarkinghead 15. The speed of advance, of course, is variable with respect tothe amount of angling of the arms 31, and may be adjusted to advance inaccordance with the requirement of each bark-removing job. i The rollers36 surrounding the sleeves 33 are prominimum the wear thereon. IHavingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire totsecureby Letters Patent of the United States the following:

1. A log-handling device comprising a support frame including a frontrail; vertical spindles carried by said frame in a series parallel toand laterally spaced from said rail; each said spindle pivotallysupporting a cradle porately and selectively pivoting said cradles inparallelism to angular positions, whereby to axially advance a logsupported thereon by said power-driven chains at varying speedsaccording to manual selection.

2. A log-handling device comprising a support frame including a frontrail; vertical spindles carried by said frame in a series parallel toand laterally spaced from said rail; cradle members each'having avertical base member pivotally supported on one said spindle and alaterally extending curved arm movably supported on said front rail forswinging movement of said cradle members about their respectivespindles; said base and arm being substantially right angularly disposedwith respect to each other; each said cradle-carrying sprockets at thefree end of each arm and base and at the meeting angle of said arm andbase; the sprockets of each cradle containing a common plane; alog-supporting chain trained about said sprockets on each cradle andhaving a log-.

supporting flight extending between the sprockets on the ends of saidarm and base; power means for driving one of said sprockets on eachcradle; and other power means operable to pivot said cradles corporatelyabout I their respective spindles.

3. A log-handling device comprising a frame including a front rail and arear railsecurely anchored with respect to each other; a plurality ofvertical spindles supported by said rear rail in spaced relationship toeach other;

5 laterally extending cradles journaled for rotation about tvided to actas idlers for the chain to reduce to a the axes of said spindles andhaving their outer ends movably supported on said front rail; saidcradles being substantially L-shaped with a base member parallel to itsrespective spindle and the arm extending laterally to the front rail;sprockets carried at the free ends of said base member and said arm andat the juncture of said base member and said arm; an endless chaintrained about said sprockets; power-drive means for driving saidsprocket on theend of said arm; a chain-tension-adjusting mechanismoperably associated to shift said sprocket on the end of said basemember laterally of its axis; and

manually operable power means for corporately pivoting said cradlesabout the axes of said spindles to shift said chains in parallelism.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENT St2,596,187 Watts et al. May 13, 1952 2,793,320 Dillingham June 11, 1957FOREIGN PATENTS a 92,338 Sweden May 17, 1938 148,033 Germany Feb. 5,1904

